Author: Maurice Carlos Ruffin
Publication Information: One World. 2024. 304 pages.
ISBN: 0593729390 / 978-0593729397
Rating: ★★★
Book Source: I received this book through NetGalley free of cost in exchange for an honest review.
Opening Sentence: "... in grasping my pen and putting my hand to page, I felt as though I existed for the first time."
Favorite Quote: "I was the property of no one save myself. Therefore, I could freely give of myself to those I loved, no?"
The title reminds me of the organization Daughters of the American Revolution. I am not sure the author intended for the connection to be made, but nevertheless it comes to my mind. Much has been written and researched about the Daughters of the American Revolution. The group is still active. The only qualification is to be able to trace lineage back to the patriots of the American Revolution.
The American Daughters of this book are similar in a fight for freedom. They are the revolutionaries rather than descendants of revolutionaries. Other than a similarity in name, they couldn't otherwise be more different. The book is based on a history of resistance amongst slaved and free women of color in pre-Civil War New Orleans. The book puts forth a secret group of spies with a character at the heart of it who was the author's ancestor.
One of the reasons I love historical fiction is that it introduces me to history I may not otherwise have learned or read about. However, when I go to research this history, very little is to be found. Basic research states that no such organization existed. So, this fiction may be taking the actual passive and active acts of resistance and put them into this fictional context. I won't say embellishing history because the resistance was and is real. However, perhaps, it is history with more of an artistic license that other historical fiction may take.
In that, this book is a great reminder that historical fiction is fiction first. It is important to not take it as history but to do your own research to separate fact from fiction.
History aside, the story is an interesting one with one main repeating theme. The phrases "slave labor camp also called a plantation" and "open-air prison also called a plantation" and other similar monikers repeat throughout the book. The vision is a brutal one and perhaps more true to the history than anything else in the book. However, the repetition of the entire phrase over and over again becomes somewhat stilted.
This is what I will remember from this book, more than the characters or even the plot. Perhaps, that is the intent successfully accomplished. Unfortunately, it makes the reading of the book challenging at times. I am reminded of the elementary school reminder of "show don't tell" in a story. This story does show as well, but the "tell" repeats as a refrain overshadowing everything else.
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